Well, THAT happened. No coup neccessary, though a little voter fraud likely was, how much we'll probably never know. Into the cave of shock and grief, something at bottom coldly reassuring about it all, the comfort of funerals: This is how most people have lived throughout human history, in fear. Still trolling for the soul of Belltown a week on I went into the new Cyclops seeking some home ground. Every woman in the room (six) were dressed exactly like Britney Spears, little jacket and turn-of-the-century paperboy cap included, and some Vincent Gallo-type Urban Republican pinhead at the bar talking about war with Al Qaida and "socialists." Generation of swine, indeed, I think I'll go to Shorty's next time. What sparked my conversation with stupid, though, was the "United Cities of America" issue of the Stranger, the only positive, actionable piece of post-11/2 strategy I've come across. Brilliant and audacious, it's getting linked and downloaded all over the world.

The Stranger's surprising post-election optimism was spurred, in part, by the overwhelming rejection of the Monorail Recall initiative (63-37%). In their eyes, this was an unmistakable confirmation of urban values and self-determination. For me, a decade of worrying this project might finally get shitcanned by some rich idiot has come to an end. Now let's ban paid-per-signature petition carriers. The good initiatives somehow always get on the ballot by the work of volunteers.

The City is failing to see the light at the end (that is, elimination) of their $4 billion tunnel replacement plan for the Viaduct. When the cost- per-Seattleite of this turkey is revealed, as well as the damage to small business in Pioneer Square and Belltown, I think the danger of us embarking on this Big Dig West will pass. Update yourself at peopleswaterfront.org.

But back to the coming fascism: What to do? At a panel discussion at Hugo House I moderated last week, opinions. Writer Jonathan Raban said we needed to stop seeing rural America as a foreign country, and um, learn their language, I guess. Stranger news editor Josh Feit expanded on his paper's urging that cities tend to their own garden, grow and blossom liberally. EMP curator and NYT scribe Ann Powers thought we should let our freak flag fly and throw our weight behind gay rights and a return to feminism (the logic I believe that if the right tries to ban abortion and oppress gays, we will win); and city councilmember Nick Licata said John Kerry never connected with the voters, and that his right-wing brother in Ohio had liked Howard Dean.

As for myself, I think that besides praying we're not at war with the entire Arab world in the next four years, we need to organize. That means me, and YOU. Fact-based America needs to match the dollars and fundamentalist networking that won it for Bush. The Republicans are truly carpetbaggers in the Reconstruction sense, taking advantage of the South to perpetuate corporate slavery. But here in the, hell, let's just say it, the Union, there is a widespread notion among people I talk to that just voting is some sort of major accomplishment. It is, literally, the LEAST you can do.

I'm still always running into people who remember my 2001 campaign for city council and say, in a spirit of solidarity, "I voted for you." That's nice, but did you send money? Did you make calls or pass out literature? When I spent some time election week out on corners with my friend Dan raising money for the DNC, again and again people dismissed him, as if no more was needed from them, "I'm voting for Kerry." And so we lost.

If you want to talk poetry, email me. And leave your car in the garage and get out on the streets in your neighborhood, you people! Except for Martin Selig: stay in Hunts Point, or wherever.